Home base stations used in second generation cordless telephone (CT2) systems allow a user to use a cordless telephone, or handset, while moving about a predetermined range of the base station. The base station may also be remoted to a speakerphone option that remotes the audio to a speaker within the base station and allows for hands-free operation of the system. With the ever increasing popularity of personal electronic products, such as cordless telephones and pagers, the trend has been to provide a greater number of features and options with these devices. In the home or office environment it is not unusual to have multiple electronic devices such as a stereo or television which may be operating while an incoming call is received at the base station. It would be helpful if the user could simultaneously control some of the features or options associated with these products. An example of such a scenario would be the owner of a handset watching television while an incoming call is received at the base station. The user in all likelihood would want to mute the audio level of the television set while the incoming call is connected. To accomplish this, the user would typically first mute the audio level of the television and then either find the handset or activate the speakerphone residing in the base station in order to respond to the incoming call. If both the task of muting the television audio and answering an incoming call could be accomplished simultaneously, the number of steps required by the user would be reduced. If the user misplaces the handset or leaves it in another room, this feature would also allow him to answer a call without having to move. A need thus exists that allows a user to customize his private base station for interaction with external electronic devices such as stereos, televisions, video cassette recorders, etc.